Haircutting device



March 7 1944- A. HoRQwlTz ETL HAIR-CUTTING DEVICE 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed May 31. 1959 March 7, 1944- A. HoRowl-rz Erm. 2,343,553

HAIR-CUTTING' DEVICE Filed May 31. 1959 2 sheets-sheet 2 ll//////////////'l Patented Mar. 7, '1944 HAIRCUTTING DEVICE Alexandre Horowitz and Alexis van Dain. Eindhoven, Netherlands, assignors, by meine assignments, to Hartford National Bank and Trust Company, Hartford, Conn., as trustee Application May 31, 1939, Serial No. 276.746. In Germany June 13, 1938 3 Claims.

Our invention relates to hair-cutting devices and more particularly to electrically-driven razors of the type which comprise a cutting head having an apertured cutting or shear plate and a rotatable cutter. Such razors are generally used for so-called dry-shaving in which neither water nor soap is used.

I'he main object of our invention is to improve the construction and operation of such devices.

A further object is to provide an improved type of shear plate.

A still further object is to provide a haircutting device by which the hairs can be cut very close to the skin.

Another object is to provide a cutting-device which will operate satisfactorilywhen the cutting head is moved in any direction over the surface from which the hairs are to be removed.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description progresses.

In accordance with the invention, we use a cutting or shear plate which is provided with a central cavity and with a plurality of narrow slits which extend substantially radially and through the wall of the cavity. The cutter has a supporting portion and a plurality of arms having cutting edges which are rotated over the inner surface of the slitted surface of the shear plate.

The cutting edges of the cutter preferably form an `acute angle with the cutting edges of the shear plate in order that the hairs will be cut by a scissor-like action andthat the edges will not collide. Furthermore, we prefer to use a cutter having three cutting edges which are equally spaced apart in order that there will be an equal distribution of the cutting pressure on all the cutting edges and each cutting edge will have the same cutting effect.

In order to increase the catching capacity of the shear plate the slits may extend through the outer wall of the cutting head.

To ensure that the hairs will be directed into Figure 1 is a partly-sectionized side view of an electric razor according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a partly-sectionized view along line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Fig.3 is a top view on an enlarged scale of the shear plate of Figs. 1 and 2,

Fig, 4 is a sectional view along line 4-4 of Figure 3,

Fig. 5 is a top view on an enlarged scale oi the cutter of Figures 1 and 2, and

Fig. 6 is a side view of the cutter of Figure 5.

The electric razor illustrated in Figures l and 2 has a housing comprising two hollow members I! and 3| of insulating material such as Bakelite" which are screwed together at 35. Within housing 3| is an electric driving motor 30 having a shaft 22. As shown vin Figure 2 the member 3| is provided with a socket having two plugs 32 (only one being shown) which are connecd to the motor and are adapted to be connected to a suitable voltage supply. A shear plate I (later to be described) has a flange I3 secured between an annular projection of member I3 and a collar 20 which is screwed to the projection.

Cooperating with shear plate I is a rotary cutter |2 (later to be described) driven from the shaft 22. Shaft 22 isvjournalled in a ball 21 bearing upon the wall o! a cavity in member I9, and is provided on its end with a cavity 36 and a slot 25. A compression spring 23 arranged within cavity 36 bears upon a pin 24 which is guided in slot 25. Pin 24 engages a slot 5| in a member 2| -oi insulated material which is provided on its upper end with two driving projections I1 .engaging rectangular holes 31 with clearance in the cutter I2. A metal pin 38 is secured to the top of member 2| and has a projecting portion passing through a central hole 39 in cutter I2 and a shoulder engaging the lower surface of the cutter I2. Thus, the spring 23 presses the cutting edges of cutter I2 against the inner surface of shear plate and as the cutter is centrally supported on the shoulder of pin 38 it adjusts itself to the proper position.

To hold member 2| in place when the ramr is disassembled, a metal member 26 secured to a central annular extension 50 of portion Il, for instance by a force fit, is adapted to engage a shoulder III on member 2|. It will be noted that the outer surface of the razor in the vicinity of the cutting head is smooth so that there will be no injury to the face when shaving.

A fan 23 is mounted on the shaft 22 and serves to ventilate the motor, and passageways $2 and 29 are provided in members 3l and Il so that the air will pass through the cutting head and remove any hairs which may be introduced therein during the cutting.

AsshowninmoredetailinFiguresa aldi: the shear plate l is of cut-shape and is provided with a central cavity l to form an annular active portion I. Portion 3 is provided with a large number of substantially radially-extending slits i. Sli-ts I preferably have a width of about 0.2mm.sothst.inknownmanner.onlythe hair to be cut and not the skin will penetrate therethrough and be cut by the cutter.

The slits 2 extend through the wall l of the cavity and are widened at their inner ends, indicated by reference numerals 8 so that the hairs within wall l of the cavity will be readily introduced into the slits upon movement of the razor over the shn. For the same purpose, the outer ends of the slits extending through the outer wall l of the shearing plate, are widened at l. The outer wall l of the shear plate i is provided with several holes l through which the hairs cut during operation may be blown by the air produced by fan il (see Fig. l).

A shear plate such as shown in Figs. 3 and i can be manufactured very cheaply for instance by being drawn from a single piece of sheet metal.

The radial arrangement of the slits 2 has the advantage that the slits extend in all directions. so that by moving the cutting head over the skin. at least one slit will always extend in the direction of movement and thus even oblique hairs will be caught in the slits. Particularly good results are obtained if the cutting head is moved in circles over the skin. Furthermore, due to the pressure with which the cutting plate is pressed to the skin during the shaving, the skin will be bellied in a substantially spherical manner within cavity 4 with the result that anyhairsbearingontheskinwillberaisedand caught in slits 2 upon movement of the razor. We have found that this combination of radial slits and a central cavity gives greatly improved results. More particularly.. not only is there better cutting of hairs but this improved cutting can be effected very rapidly.

In Figure 3 the path of the cutting edges o! the cutter is indicated by dotted lines Il and il, and the construction of the cutter will be described in more detail by reference to Figures Sand 6. As shown in Figures 5 and 6 the cutter i 2 has a plate-shaped supporting portion containing the holes 31 and 39, and three projecting arms i3 having upwardly-extending portions whose end surfaces I4 are provided with cutting edges i5. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cutter i2 is so arranged that cavity l of the shear plate I lies centrally between the arms i3 and the cutting edges I5 travel over the path indicated by reference numerals I0 and Il in Figure 3. AsA indicated in Figure 5 the edge Il of each cutting surface i4 makes a small angle, s, for instance about 7, with the radial line It which extends in substantially the direction of the slits 2 of the shear plate (see Fig. 3) so that the cutting edges will never collide with the edges of the slits and be damaged. If desired the surfaces il may slope slightly from the edge Il.

In the embodiment illustrated, the actual cutting is eifected only at the fiat annular surface indicated by reference numerals l0 and il in Figure 3. However, ii desired the cutting may be eected at the wall of the cavity I and/or at the inner surface of the wall I by using a cutter of proper shape.

Although we have described our invention in connection with a 'spedifld embodiment andI certain details of constructions. we do not wish to be limited thereto because obvious modifications will present themselves to one skilled in this art.

What we claim is:

l. In a hair-cutting device comprising a shear-plate provided with a central cavity, the annular portion of the plate surrounding said cavity being provided with a plurality of slits distributed around the annular portion and al1 extending substantially radially, said slits extending through the side wall of said central cavity, and a rotatable cutter having a supporting portion and arm portions each having a cutting edge adapted to engage the edges formed by said slits, the cutting edge of each arm being at an acute angle with the edge of each slit during engagement therewith.

2. In a dry-shaving device, a shear plate having a central recessed portion and an annular portion surrounding said central portion, said annular portier? being provided with a piurality of slits distributed around the annular portion and all extending substantially radially, said slits extending through the side wall of said central recessed portion, and a rotatable cutter cooperating with said plate, said slits being widened at the side wall of said central portion to guide hairs into the slits.

3. In a dry-shaving device, a shear plate having a central recessed portion and an annular'portion surrounding said central portion and comprising an outer side wall portion, said annular portion being provided with a plurality of slits distributed around the annular portion and all extending substantially radially, and a rotatable cutter cooperating with said plate, said slits extending through 'the side wall of said central recessed portion and the side wall of said annular portion and being widened at the said side wall portions to guide hairs into the slits.

ALEXANDRE HOROWITZ. ALEXIS vm DAM. 

